by Hoaks, C. A.
Zack chuckled nervously. “Okay, ya’ll get out, just in case.”
“Good idea. Della, you four get out and follow us. I’ll ride with Zack,” Steve answered. “We’ll pick you up on the other side.”
The three women and child stepped out of the truck and waited as the vehicle pulled ahead. They watched as the heavy vehicle rolled toward the narrowing of the trail. Zack shifted into low gear, and the sound of the engine growled.
The tires rolled forward, with Steve urging Zack to guide the truck toward the upper slope. Zack turned the steering wheel to the right. The front tire climbed up the incline while the left tires rolled alongside the drop-off at the side of the track. Zack’s brow glistened with perspiration.
“Am I good?” Zack worried. “I can’t see the road.”
“You’re doing fine.” Steve leaned out the window judging the distance. “To the right. More to the right. The tire can roll up the rocks on this side. Slow and steady, now.”
Zack glistened with moisture as he struggled against the steering wheel forcing the front right tire up the incline. The truck moved forward. The cab tilted at a steep angle. Gravel and dirt slid down the canyon wall.
“Oh God…oh God!” Della whispered as the women followed.
Darlene was quiet while Penny danced around as she clung to her mother’s hand. Millie started discussing how she could cook on a wood stove. She talked about cooking grits, collard greens, and smoke-cured meat. When Della gasped, Millie grabbed her arm and insisted Della support her.
“Della girl. I need your help. I ain’t as strong as I used to be,” Millie declared.
Darlene continued walking while she watched as Millie forced Della to ignore the truck rolling past the wash and help her across the uneven ground. She smiled as she watched Millie try to keep Della from focusing on Steve and Zack. Darlene turned to look at the edge of the road, and her heart quickened when she saw the sheer drop off mere inches from the tires of the truck.
Steve hung out the passenger window, waving his arm and encouraging Zack to hold the right wheels straight as the vehicle rolled over the rockslide at the side of the trail. Suddenly, the back wheel bounced off the last cluster of rocks, and the truck settled flat on the trail again. Zack let the truck roll forward another ten feet where the road widened and slammed the big truck into park.
“Fuck a duck!” Zack cursed as he jerked open the vehicle door and jumped to the road. He bent over, taking several deep breaths. Finally, he stood up, his eyes still wide with fright.
He looked back at the narrow pass. “That was really screwed up.”
Steve wiped the moisture from his face and forced a laugh. “You’re the man. Let’s get moving.”
After retrieving a bottle of water and taking a long drink, Zack opened the back door of the extended cab. He made an exaggerated bow and hustled Della, Darlene, Penny, and Millie inside. “I’ll be doing some road work on this trail before we come out of here,” he announced as he settled behind the wheel.
Steve laughed. “Might be a good idea.”
Della sighed. “I don’t think my heart could watch you do that again.”
Millie chuckled. “I wasn’t worried.”
Chapter 26
Up a Creek
Brian steered the truck through a maze of vehicles abandoned along the roadway. Billy pulled out a map, studied the multi-colored lines and plotted a route to a westbound state road.
“Next right.” Billy directed. “Then down two lights, we should hit an industrial area with a lot less traffic and fewer chances of infected people.”
“Where are we going?” Paula asked.
“To the Air Force Base,” Brian announced. “I’ve heard flights coming from that direction. I think they must be evacuating civilians from the airbase. I want to get there before the place is overrun or closed down.”
“What about my family?” she fired back.
“What about them?” Brian glanced at her. “I’m not running a bus service. My only goal is to get you folks outta the city. You got a better idea, let’s have it.” When she didn’t answer, he continued, “If any of you want to go off on your own, I’ll help you find a vehicle, and you can head out.”
Paula looked at Billy, and he answered, “Don’t look at me. The man saved my life more than once. My family is out of state. I’m stickin’ with him.”
Paula folded her arms across her chest and adopted a stubborn pout. “Asshole,” She whispered under her breath.
“You saw what we saw Paula,” Billy interrupted. “You wouldn’t last an hour on your own.”
Brian sighed. “Where is your family?”
“Houston,” Paula answered.
“We heard on a radio they evacuated Houston two days after the attack. All we can do is get to safety and then contact the Red Cross. They’ll be setting up camps and some kind of registration to reunite families.” Brian answered. “Your family would want you to be safe. In the meantime, we stay safe and pray our families are as well.”
Paula took a deep breath then answered softly, “I guess you’re right.”
“Hang on back there!” Brian called out as he slowed the truck to maneuver around yet another accident. Dozens of infected spilled from store fronts. They quickly began to make their way toward the rumble of the truck motor.
Juan slapped his hand on the roof of the cab. “Got company coming, man!”
“Got it. Hang on back there. Don’t let anything get close,” Brian answered.
“We’ll manage. Just keep moving and get us to the airfield,” Leon added.
Brian steered the truck to the edge of the street and rolled over pieces of torn and battered bodies. The brush guard hit flesh, and the infected fell under the large wheels. The truck rolled down the hill, over a curb into a yard, then back into the street again.
More and more of the infected were drawn to the sound of the motor accelerating. A few of the infected tried to reach over the edge of the bed, but the moving vehicles slipped from their grasp. Others stumbled into the side of the truck, only to fall under the huge wheels. Brian steered the truck past the last of the vehicles that blocked the access to the main road heading toward the airfield.
Slowly, Brian brought the truck to a stop at the top of a hill overlooking the base. They studied Kelly Field in the distance. Hundreds of vehicles had been pushed to the sides of the streets around the airfield creating massive barricades around base, leaving only a few streets with access to the base. Those had been closed off and were currently under siege by masses of the infected.
Behind the barrier, the airfield was a beehive of activity. Even from the distance, they could see the main entrance was a canyon of abandoned cars parked end to end. The second level of cars had been added to the barrier, only upside down, creating a wall that was twice as high and unmovable. At some point, concrete barriers had been brought into line on either side. It was a formidable effort, but it was failing. The infected were massing on either side of the stacked vehicles. The dead moved between buildings drawn by the sound of the helicopters and aircraft staging on the runways. Thousands of infected pushed against the road blocks and were only held back by piles of bodies created by the constant barrage of gunfire from the men on several tripod guard posts around the field.
The military was making a concentrated effort to evacuate the remaining survivors from the city. Access to the area was closed off, and a collection of uniformed and civilian defenders were attempting to hold the line until the survivors within the compound were evacuated. The only barrier that kept the infected at bay was a twenty-foot wide bayou at the side of the airfield.
“We have to get in there now, or we’re fucked,” Dale announced through the back window.
Ignoring the comment, Billy asked, “How are we going to get in there?”
“We’re not. No way to get to the field before it’s overrun.” Brian pointed to a distant tower as it fell when the stacked cars nearby toppled over. “Hold on! We n
eed to get moving while the mob is focused on the airfield.”
“No!” Margo yelled from the truck bed.
“We have no choice.” Brian called over his shoulder.
Brian guided the truck through the congested streets for nearly two hours until he finally pulled into a strip center with a large Cabelas store. He crossed the empty parking lot, drove to the end of the buildings and circled around to the back of the buildings at a loading dock. He backed up to an overhead door. Across the back was painted the name of the camping and hunting supply store.
Juan jumped from the bed of the truck with Leon close on his heels.
“I take it you have a plan?” Leon asked.
“Yeah. We need to stock up. There’s no way to get out of the city on the streets. Leon Creek goes south all the way to the Medina River. We’ll take it to get out of the city. ”
Billy, with a rifle in hand, stood at the front of the truck scanning the alley while Paula and Margo disappeared behind a small stand of bushes. Both returned with a look of relief on their faces. Brian popped a side door then went inside the loading dock for several minutes. The overhead door rolled up with rumbling and squeals of protest from rusted wheels.
Dale leaned against a barrier at the side of the building. He took a long draw on a water bottle. “We need to find real food.”
Everyone startled at the sound of a distant boom. After a brief silence, there was another explosion, then another. Each explosion was followed by several smaller detonations. White smoke and dust billowed up toward the gathering storm clouds overhead. Planes raced toward the skies overhead, circled and headed back toward the center of the city.
“You hear that? The city is lost,” Brian announced. “The military is taking out the bridges. They’re trying to isolate the infected. No one else will be leaving the city, at least not by roadways. You saw the airfield. It’ll be overrun within the hour.”
“They’re trapping people in the city with those bastards,” Dale lamented.
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just telling you what I think. It’s a matter of the greater good. They are trying to save the rest of the state.”
“Then there’s no way out,” Paula gasped. “We’re dead!”
“Change of plans. We’re going to get rafts or canoes, whatever we can find and go down the creek until it runs into the Medina River.”
“It’s a fucking creek,” Dale protested. “It barely has water.”
“There may be a few places that we’ll have to portage, but that’s the best option now. Between the traffic, downed bridges, and infected blocking roads, we have no choice,” Brian argued. “Besides, the creeks were widened for storm drainage the last couple years. We have to chance it.”
Billy grinned, “We could paddle board out. I always wanted to try that.”
“This won’t be a day on the lake,” Brian responded. “I’m hoping for a ten or twelve-foot, inflatable boat, maybe two if smaller. We’ll float down the creek and right past the infected. More shallow the draft the better.”
Leon stepped closer and asked, “You think it’s going to be that easy, boss?”
“We’re out of options now,” Brian answered. “Billy, you’re with me. We clear the building then get the boat. The rest of you, get food, clothes, weapons, ammo, and whatever you can find that’s useful.”
Dale pulled a cigarette and lit up while the rest of the group headed for the door. Brian walked inside the building quickly studying the shadows of the warehouse lit by battery-powered emergency lighting. Brian flicked on a LED light and fanned the beam across the room for a better look. He sniffed. The only smells were dust, rubber, and plastics. It was the smell of trade goods, not the stench of the dead. After one more pass of the light across the interior, he walked to the second overhead door and examined the system. He pulled the release cord hanging overhead. The lock released, and Brian used the handle to roll up the door. Brian waved Juan to his side, and a few moments later he started stacking cases of bottled water on the end of the loading dock.
With the added light spilling into the warehouse, Brian saw four twelve-foot flat-bottomed Jon Boats on a rack, two different inflatable rafts, two canoes, and half a dozen kayaks. Pallets of goods were spread around the back room organized by departments.
Everyone stood staring. “Where do we start?” Paula asked.
Brian held up his hand. “Let me and Billy check out the storefront then the rest of you go in and gather supplies.” Brian and Billy disappeared into the darkened storefront and made a quick pass through the aisles.
“I don’t smell nothing,” Billy announced.
“Looks like it might have been closed and it hasn't been looted yet.” Brian agreed as made his way back to the open loading dock. Once there, he called out, “Leon and Juan, check out the storefront. It’s clear so take the ladies and Dale. Billy and I’ll take care of getting three boats and trolling motors.”
“What’s priority?” Leon asked.
Brian answered. “Pick up emergency food, back packer’s meals in pouches, batteries, and flashlights, and clothes. We have plenty of water back here.” Brian answered. “You have twenty minutes.” He turned to Billy. “Let’s get busy.”
Billy asked, “Which one sir?”
“These flat-bottom boats have a shallow draft for low water. The only problem will be a maximum weight limit. We’ll divide the weight between the three boats. We’ll only be able to carry an extra sixty to seventy pounds in supplies per boat, so be selective.”
Brian dragged his hand across the top of his head, cringing at the dirt and grit embedded in in the stubble. He took a deep breath and frowned at his own body odor. He wondered when any of them would ever have a bath and feel clean again. “Yes. With the extra weight of the supplies, we don’t have a choice.”
Billy walked to the boat rack. “How are we transporting ‘em?”
“Not sure yet, I’m hoping to use that boat trailer,” Brian answered as walked back to the opened overhead door. One look at the back bumper of the truck and he growled. “Well, fuck. That shot that in the ass, no trailer hitch. Plan B.”
Brian grabbed the end of the first of the three fiberglass boats. “We stack ‘em in the bed, nested one next to the other, then tie ‘em up against the side. The rest of the supplies, trolling motors, paddles, half a dozen batteries, and tarps next to them. Should leave room for folks.”
“Tarps?” Billy asked. “What do we need tarps for?”
“Hopefully, if the infected can’t see us on the boats, maybe we can slip by unnoticed.”
“What happens if we do make it to the river?”
“Who in the hell knows,” Brian answered. “Stay on the water or walk until we get wheels.”
Brian and Billie loaded three Jon boats by the time the others came back from deeper in the store. The tailgate lay open with the Jon boats hanging over the end. Next to the boats was stacked trolling motors, batteries, paddles, and six cases of water.
Juan came out of the warehouse with three backpacks over his shoulder and threw both men wet towels. “There was a water dispenser in the break room. Thought you might use a coolin’ off. This shit’s supposed to stay cold.”
Brian recognized the blue cloth. “It can’t hurt. Have we got everything?” He ran the cloth over his face and draped it around his neck.
Leon stepped up. “We found backpacks and filled one for each of us, trail food, extra water, flashlights with batteries, and first aid supplies. We guessed on sizes for y’all.” He nodded toward the women and Dale who now wore cargo pants and t-shirts. “We got extra socks for everyone, ammo, knives, and water purifiers.”
Brian glanced at the group and saw Juan and Leon now wore side arms and carried rifles. Leo dropped another bag in the bed of the truck. Brian opened the zipper and saw more ammo. He closed the bag as Juan set three square plastic buckets with black and white labeled identifying them as emergency meals next to the bag.
Billy s
et a stack of tarps behind the water cases. “That’s it, sir.”
“Let’s get moving,” Brian announced. “Everyone in the truck.”
Chapter 27
New Beginning
Once Tate turned back on the blacktop, she slowed the vehicle, pulled out a map, and tossed it into Matt’s lap. “Figure out where we are and the best way to get to Hondo. Backroads, only.”
“Hondo is back toward San Antonio,” Matt protested.
“No shit, Sherlock,” Tate snapped. “I told you I need a new ride.”
“How do you know you can find a truck there?” Matt asked.
“There’s a Mack dealer there. Saw the trucks with my dad a few years back. It has dozens of rigs lined up. It’s one of the biggest dealerships in Texas.”
“Maybe but it’s at least sixty miles,” Matt protested as he examined the map.
“I imagine that’s about right,” Tate answered.
“I don’t suppose I can talk you out of it?” Matt argued.
“Nope,” Tate answered with a stubborn set of her chin.
“Alright, then the back roads it is until we get to FM 426 and catch that into Hondo.” He took the time to designate the route he had picked out, then finished by adding, “If that works for you, take the next right.”
Tate downshifted, as they approached the turn-off. “Sounds good.”
Matt asked, “Where is the dealership?”
“South side of town.”
Tate downshifted again, then turned on a narrow blacktop. She accelerated, clutched and shifted until she was rolling along at forty miles per hour. The white tracker rig rumbled down the highway all alone, passing stalled and abandoned vehicles. Undefinable rattles and groans from the suspension left her even more determined to get a new rig.
Tate glanced at Matt. “I figured we’d get close and hold up for the night. By the time we get there, the light will be going, and I don’t want to go into a populated area in the dark. We can head into town in the morning. I’ve got a place in mind that is remote enough to be safe.”
Matt looked at the woman sitting next to him. “Why did you come after me?”
